Improvement in bed-bottoms



W. J. MYERS.

Bed-Bottom.

Patented Mar. 4,1879.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM J. MYERS, OF HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT.

IMPROVEMENT IN BED-BOTTOMS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 212,816., dated March4, 1879; application filed August 7, 1878.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM J. MYERS, of Hartford, in the county ofHartford and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Bed-Bottoms; and I do hereby declare that the followingis a full, clear, and exact description thereof, whereby a personskilled in the art can make and use the same, reference being had to theaccompanyin g drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon.

Like letters in the figures indicate the same parts.

My improvement relates to spring bed-bottoms, such as are usually placedupon bedsteads for supporting and giving elasticity to the mattress.

Bedbottoms have been heretofore made of an elastic fabric of coiled wiresupported from the ends, and have also been made of wire links ofvarious forms composing a fabric or web which has been provided withsprings of various forms at the ends to give it elasticity.

The object of my invention is to provide a bed-bottom composed of wirelinks, which shall be elastic throughout its whole length, and becheaper and more easily constructed than those of coiled springs as atpresent used and my invention consists in the construction andarrangement of parts that will be hereinafter described.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 shows a top view of my improvedbed-bot tom. Fi g. 2 is a side view of the same.

A A are the side bars of the frame. B B are the end bars, which aresupported upon the side bars by castings, which elevate them above theside bars, as shown in the drawings, or in any other usual manner.

C C are the castings which form the corners of the frame. =D D, &c., arebent-wire links of the form shown in the drawings.

At one end each link is bent into two loops, E E, for receiving thehooked ends of the next loop, to connect the two in the manner shown.

At the sides of the links the wire is bent round in the form of acircle, so as to allow the link to elongate and contract when pressureis applied to the fabric or removed. These circles form the springswhich give the bedbottom its elasticity, in the same manner thatlongitudinal coiled springs have heretofore been used. These springs liehorizontally in the same plane as the rest of the fabric, which rendersthe whole thin and flat, so as to occupy but little space when foldedup. These springs are shown at D.

Gr C are short lateral links, which connect the spring-loops of adjacentlongitudinal links D. These merely serve the purpose of connecting theseries of longitudinal links together. Beingconnectedwiththespring-rings, which lie near the middle of the sides of the longitudinallinks D, they yield readily, so that the depression of one line oflongitudinal links does not materially disturb those a short distancefrom it.

H H are screws in the end bars, B, over which the loops in the endlinks, D, are placed to suspend the fabric from the end bars. The fabricis placed in its proper position, hooked to the end bars, and is thenstretched in any convenient manner, as is now done withsimilarly-suspended fabrics, until the proper tension is obtained, whenit is secured by firmly screwing the end bars to the side bars, or inany other convenient manner.

My improved bed-bottom admits of being readily transported by removingthe fabric and taking the frame apart. The web can be rolled eitherlongitudinally or laterally, so as to occupy a very smallcompass. Inthis state it can be readily transported and easily set up for use. Ifthe frame is made with screw attachments for extending the web, it caneasily be stretched in its place, as it does not require so great anextension as the ordinary coiled-wire fabrics.

What I claim as my invention is- 1. A series of links, D, extending fromend bar to end bar, each link being provided with springs D,substantially as herein described.

2. The combination of the series of longitudinally-connected links D,each link having the circular springs D, with the lateral links G, toform an elastic fabric, substantially as herein described.

WILLIAM J. MYERS.

Witnesses Tnno. G. ELLIs, WENDELL R. Cnn'rrs.

